Gene Jones/Ray Dory/Jess Cain/Park Squares

[Doug Drown]

>Broadcasters weren't
allowed to play records. When the musician's union lost that battle, it 
changed the face of the music business forever (and lined the pockets of the
station owners).

This must have been right around the time of the advent of rock 'n' roll. 
I'm 56 and can't remember any radio station that played live music of any 
kind, anywhere, except on very sporadic special occasions.  I started 
listening to the Top 40 on WBZ and WPTR in 1962, when I was 11.   -Doug

-Doug

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Sonny Daye" <sonnydaye1@gmail.com>
To: <boston-radio-interest@lists.BostonRadio.org>
Sent: Wednesday, April 02, 2008 12:39 PM
Subject: Gene Jones/Ray Dory/Jess Cain/Park Squares


>I can fill in a few facts here.
> I believe Gene Jones also played saxophone.
> Before Jess joined Ray Dory, there was the Pat & Ray Show. Pat (vocalist) 
> is
> a friend of mine. She's retired and living in Florida.
>
> <<<Wasn't there a musician by the name of Ken Greene (pianist, organist) 
> on
> WHDH? >>>
>
> There was a duo for many years on 'HDH. Ken Wilson (organ) and Bill Greene
> (piano). Their (15 minute?) taped segments were heard in the evening 
> around
> dinnertime. Bill passed away a few years ago.
>
> <<<Did he have a group called thePark Squares? >>>
>
> The only surviving member of the Park Squares is guitarist Don Alessi. 
> GREAT
> musician, still playing. I worked with him not too long ago.
> Those were the days of LIVE MUSIC on the radio and TV! Broadcasters 
> weren't
> allowed to play records. When the musician's union lost that battle, it
> changed the face of the music business forever (and lined the pockets of 
> the
> station owners).
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: "Dan.Strassberg" <dan.strassberg@att.net>
> To: "thomas heathwood" <HeritageRadio@msn.com>, <
> boston-radio-interest@rolinin.bostonradio.org>
> Date: Wed, 2 Apr 2008 09:52:41 -0400
> Subject: Re: Gene Jones
> By the time I arrived in Boston (summer of '56), I'm pretty sure that
> Tom Russell had taken over the MC duties on the WEEI (590) AM-drive
> show. Carl Moore and the live music were still on with him, though
> (just as Jess Cain on rival WHDH (850) co-hosted for the better part
> of a year with the previous morning host, Ray Dory; their show was
> called Dory and Cain). I believe that in that era, Moore also had his
> own show (also with live music) on WEEI (maybe in the noon to 1:00PM
> hour). I think maybe the live music ended first on WEEI and continued
> for several more years on WHDH. Wasn't there a musician by the name of
> Ken Greene (pianist, organist) on WHDH? Did he have a group called the
> Park Squares? Seems to me that he might have had a program in the
> 6:00PM hour.